10 Aug 2012
Sport • Women • Writing

The Last Fight For Women

Nicola Adams became the first woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing yesterday. I met her about four years ago when I was working on a project for my broadcast journalism course, a short film looking at the fight to get women’s boxing into the Olympics.

Towards the end of the interview, Nicola said: “The best is going to the Olympics - that’s what I want to do… I’m going to go for that gold!”

It’s crazy to think that she was so determined all those years ago, when women’s boxing wasn’t even permitted in the Olympics.

There will still, no doubt, be some people out there who think that the ring is no place for girls. Whatever your thoughts are about boxing – regardless of gender – there is no denying that Nicola is an inspiring young woman. Yesterday, she made history and I couldn’t be happier for her.

 

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09 Jul 2012
Social media • Thoughts • Uncategorized • Writing

Inappropriate Instagram ‘Likers’

Instagram, bringing you filtered photos of people’s dinner, cats and babies since 2010. This photo sharing app has quickly become my favourite social network, replacing Twitter, which had previously replaced Facebook.

Now, with most social networks you have a defined audience who you are posting/tweeting/sharing with/to:

Facebook = people you went to school/college/uni with, maybe some family members too

Twitter = people who share the same interests/professions/postcode as you, with a sprinkling of people you actually know in real life

LinkedIn = people you have worked with/are working with/might one day work with

The thing with Instagram is that these realms of friends and followers collide, thanks to being able to automatically import all of your contacts from Facebook and Twitter (you can’t yet import contacts from LinkedIn, which is no problem as sharing that grainy photo of a brick wall with moss growing out of it probably isn’t going to help your future career).

Having both Facebook friends and Twitter followers in one place does bring up some interesting observations. Especially when it comes to liking photos. I have been an Instagram user for 45 weeks, and over this time, I have learnt that there are a few different types of Likers. Some perfectly acceptable, some not so much…

Instagram Likers – which type are you?

 

The Habitual Liker – This person (who you won’t know in real life) will like every single photo you upload, regardless of content, composition or skill. At first, you think: ‘Wow, I’m getting some fans, I must be pretty good!” This feeling of elation is shortly replaced with a feeling of emptiness. You soon start to lose all confidence in your Instagram ability and have no way of knowing if any of your photos are actually any good or not, due to the overzealous liking of said follower. These feelings are only reaffirmed when you post a photo of dog poo just to test the reaction of this follower, only to find that they are, as you suspected, an Habitual Liker. On checking their profile, you see that they also like every single photo of everyone else they follow. You feel cheated, used and do not Instagram for a week while you come to terms with this betrayal.

The Over Familiar Liker – The Habitual Liker can often fall in to this category. From time to time as you document your life through a filter, you may post a picture which has sentimental and personal value. An old snap of a loved one who has recently passed away, a picture of a piece of string (which to the everyday Joe has no meaning, but to your uni mates who went to that festival will have them in stitches for days), or a slightly drunken picture of your partner looking particularly blurry eyed but FIT AS from the other night. Now, these photos are fine to be ‘liked’ by your friends and family – you know, the people who actually make face-to-face contact with on a regular basis – but there is something slightly unnerving about a complete stranger who you’ve never even retweeted liking these personal pictures. For this reason, I always ‘like’ cautiously when it comes to photos of babies.

The Selfish Liker – This person is basically a slutty spambot. If you met them in real life, they would be riddled with STDs. They aggressively ‘like’ everything in sight, salivating at the mouth as they follow the click of the heart symbol with a comment of “FOLLOW ME I’LL FOLLOW BACK, 30 LIKES FOR EVERY FOLLOW”. This person ‘likes’ merely to increase the notches on their own bedpost. Avoid, block and delete at all costs. Failing that, always use protection.

The Acceptable Liker – Generally speaking, if you know someone in real life, they can get away with liking any photo you upload without it being weird. If anything, it’s their duty to actively seek out and like every picture you put up. The Acceptable Liker category can also be broadened to people on Twitter who, although you may not have met in real life, you do regularly interact with. However, the latter needs to ‘like’ with care or else they risk becoming an Over Familiar Liker.

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09 Jul 2012
Uncategorized

Condiment Conundrum

I wrote this post almost a year ago on 11th July 2011 for my previous blog. It still holds so much truth…sweet chilli sauce being the latest victim…

Of all the things to have become an issue from moving in with a boy, nothing could have prepared me for this. The smells, the piles of dirty pants, the cigarette butts in glasses, the fact that he uses all of my expensive shampoo and doesn’t understand why I get in a huff when he suggests I clean my hair with washing up liquid – all of these things I can handle. I had expected these challenges and been warned about them by my fellow double-X chromosome beings.

No, the biggest issue about moving in with a boy is far more difficult to cope with. Mainly because it is so bizarre. So surreal that even Dali would struggle to portray it accurately in a painting. And it is because of the surreal nature of it, which is why I could never have prepared myself mentally or emotionally for it.

The problem is – condiments.

I should have noticed the warning signs before. During the early loved up days when I would come round to his flat laden with Aldi 3p carrier bags brimming with cheap, continental delights which I would attempt to fashion into a culinary treat. I would purchase dressings for summer salads, Tabasco for Delia’s chicken jambalaya (or Gambalaya, as I like to call it after myself) and wholegrain mustard to sex up the potato part of bangers and mash.

A few days later I would return to his flat. And the condiments, bought only 48 hours earlier, would be gone. Vanished. The vessel would be sparse of content, apart from the congealed remains lingering around the lid.

My boyfriend, it appears, has a condiment compulsion – a habit for honey, a dependence on dips, an obsession with oils and a ridiculous reliance on relish.

Not a bottle of Heinz ketchup, nor a jar of cranberry jelly, or vessel of soy sauce can last more than a few days. But how, why?? Sure, I’ve noticed he tends to lay on the mayo thick across his side salad and drown his chips in tomato sauce – but I still can’t understand where it all goes. He must actually just sit there and drink the damn stuff.

Like any irrational irritation, my internal fury over the matter is unexplainable. But one thing is for sure, this can not continue. I am declaring a vinegar vendetta. SAVE OUR MAYO.

Save our mayo

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25 Jun 2012
Photography

A few recent Instagram photos…

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25 Jun 2012
Books

Caitlin Moran Saves Lives

Yes, I know, quite a claim… But turns out the Times journalist and funny gal Caitlin Moran is making a huge impact on the lives of women up and down the country.

Last night, I went to see Caitlin talk about her latest book How To Be A Woman at Waterstones, Deansgate. I expected the evening to be entertaining, funny and inspiring – and all these boxes were ticked. What I didn’t expect was for the evening to be quite so humbling…

For those of you who don’t know, in her new book, Caitlin draws on her own experiences to highlight some of the issues that women face today. From intimate waxing to taking out a second mortgage to buy a designer handbag, from lap dancing clubs to the rise of the WAG, and from the reality of giving birth to the reality of abortions – Caitlin explores these subjects and encourages fellow females (and males) to look at them, question them and basically ask: WTF??

It appears the UK has been gagging for a book like this to come along. Many of Moran’s own stories and views echo the millions of murmurs, whispers and gossips of women all over the world. How to be a Woman is currently number five in Amazon’s bestselling list, and Moran told us last night that there is going to be a film, sitcom and second book to follow. Wowza, looks like the latest trend is a big fat dollop of feminism. Who’d a funked it?

Clearly, I wasn’t the only person at the event last night who found Moran’s book refreshing and entertaining. There was a real buzz and energy in the room, and much ROFL-ing ensued. However, it was the comments from a lady sat in the row in front of me that really put this book into perspective.

The lady was from the Pankhurst Centre, a women’s community centre based in Chorlton on Medlock, Manchester. She stood up and told Caitlin how much of a powerful tool her book was, not just for the staff who work there, but also for the women that they help.

Some of the women that the centre supports may be victims of sexual assault or domestic violence. Some of them may be homeless or addicted to drugs. Some of them may be facing debt, unemployment or family issues. Some may never have a strong female role model or the ability to stand up for themselves.

Regularly during workshops, someone from the Pankhurst Centre reads an extract from How to be a Woman to the rest of the team and visitors to the centre. The book provides a lot of discussion among the women about how certain issues relate to them and their experiences. With the help of Caitlin’s words, curses and humour, they are empowering the women that they support gain confidence, restore their self-respect and rebuild their lives.

Last night, the comments from the Pankhurst Centre worker sliced through me and I’m still thinking about them today. For me, Caitlin’s book was enjoyable and empowering, making me think things like: ‘YEH, why the hell should we spend twenty odd grand on a wedding and make ourselves look like porn stars??’, but thanks to the comments from some of the guests last night, it made me realise that, actually, this book is pretty much a life saver for some women out there.

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